November 16, (THEWILL) – The Labour Party in Ogun State has called on the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission to cancel the November 16 local government elections, citing alleged massive rigging, delays in the arrival of materials, and violence against its agents and members.
At a press conference held in Abeokuta, the party’s State Legal Adviser, Mr. Oluwafemi Ibiayo, described the election as a “complete charade” and demanded that OGSIEC declare the exercise null and void.
He warned that failure to fix a new date for fresh elections would compel the party to protest or challenge the results in court.
“We are calling on OGSIEC to cancel the election. It must be cancelled and a new date fixed. Otherwise, we will lead a protest. This election is null and void, and the process was a complete sham,” Ibiayo stated.
He further alleged that voters were disenfranchised due to the late arrival of electoral materials, stressing that the party would not recognise or give credibility to any results announced by OGSIEC.
Similarly, the State Chairman of the party, Engr. Lookman Jagun, accused OGSIEC of colluding with Governor Dapo Abiodun to rig the election in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Jagun alleged widespread irregularities, including violence against opposition party agents and voters, and described the exercise as a blatant violation of electoral laws.
He said, “OGSIEC, in connivance with the governor, rigged the election for the APC. No election took place in the state. Our supporters were beaten and chased away from polling units by thugs loyal to the APC.”
He called on OGSIEC to cancel the entire election, insisting that the process was fundamentally flawed and lacked credibility.
“If OGSIEC fails to cancel this election, we will reject any results and take the matter to court,” he added.
Jagun also criticised the state government for what he termed “undemocratic tactics” to undermine the opposition, adding that the APC’s actions had disgraced Ogun State’s reputation as the Gateway State.
“The governor had boasted that the opposition was invincible and that APC would sweep the polls. Today’s exercise was a demonstration of their crude and barbaric approach to governance,” he lamented.
